157. Morgan Territory Regional Preserve, Contra Costa County, California

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Morgan Territory Regional Preserve is a regional park in Contra Costa County, California. Located east of Clayton and north of Livermore, California, bordering on Mt. Diablo State Park, it is part of the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD). The preserve was founded in 1975 with fewer than 1,000 acres (400 ha), but EBRPD has gradually acquired more property, and, since 2015, the preserve encompasses 5,230 acres (2,120 ha). The main access roads run from Livermore and Clayton. The preserve was named for Morgan Territory, an historic name for the area associated with Anglo-American pioneer Jeremiah Morgan, who in 1856 acquired thousands of acres on the east side of Mount Diablo and developed a ranch. Popular activities in the park are camping, hiking, horseback riding and picnicking. A reservation is required to use the backpacking campsite. This is not wheelchair accessible. Picnic sites are first come, first served. Dogs are allowed in the preserve and no fee is charged for their admittance.

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Morgan Territory Regional Preserve now totals 5,230 acres (2,120 ha) and is one of the larger EBRPD (East Bay Regional Park District) holdings. The preserve extends on both sides of a creek. When developed parallel to the creek in 1892, Morgan Territory Road was named for pioneer Jeremiah Morgan's ranch. Today many of the preserve's trails branch off from this main road into the surrounding hills. Other trails lead toward Mount Diablo State Park, which is adjacent to a portion of the Regional Preserve. On the west side of the preserve, trails connect to Los Vaqueros Watershed. However, a permit from the Reservoir is required to access this protected watershed. There is one main staging area, which is located at a pass with an elevation of 2,030 feet (620 m). The Volvon Trail follows a ridge from this pass, maintaining an elevation of about 1,900 feet (580 m). The highest point in the park is on Highland Ridge, at an elevation of 2,317 feet (706 m). There are camping areas where water is available and restrooms are located. Apart from the main staging area, an area with restrooms and a camping/picnic area can be found on Roger Epperson Ridge along the Highland Ridge Trail. According to the EBRPD, more than 90 species of wildflowers grow in Morgan Territory Regional Preserve. Particularly notable is the Diablo sunflower Helianthella castanea, which is native to the foothills of Mount Diablo. Fauna include deer, coyote, and occasionally a mountain lion.

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This area on the east side of Mount Diablo was historically the homeland of the Volvon, one of five tribes in the region who spoke dialects of the Bay Miwok language and were encountered by Spanish explorers. The Spanish began exploring and colonizing the area east of San Francisco Bay in 1772, which resulted in wholesale changes to the world of the Volvon and other regional tribes. Some members of the native tribes were killed outright by Spanish military confrontations. Others were relocated into Catholic missions and forced to change their traditional ways. Unsanitary conditions at the missions and exposure to new infectious diseases carried by the foreigners caused the deaths of many Native Americans. Most of the native resistance to the way of life which the Spaniards imposed ended around 1806. Meanwhile, the King of Spain began dividing the land into enormous parcels that were granted to friends and supporters. Few of these grantees resided on their new grants, but subdivided them into smaller parcels which they gave or sold to others. After Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821, it continued the practice of granting large ranchos to Californios on Bay Miwok homelands, beginning in the 1820s. Such lands were increasingly acquired by American immigrants from the United States, such as John Marsh in 1837 and Jeremiah Morgan in 1856.The United States acquired California after defeating Mexico in the Mexican-American War of 1848. Jeremiah Morgan, a native of Alabama, had migrated to Iowa. He went to California in 1849 in the gold rush. He worked briefly as a miner before returning to Iowa for his family. He returned with them to California in 1853. Acquiring land in 1856, he started a ranch on the east side of Mount Diablo in 1857. Because he eventually owned 2000 acres and was established in the area, this part of the mountain became known as Morgan Territory after him.

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